Stormy Nights
by Zacnichols123
Summary: The fight between Mogul's forces and the Freedom Fighters continue. As time continues to evade them, Axel and Jack decide to get on the offensive and begin to stir up trouble against the progression of Moguls plan. But with Mogul's personal assassin and apprentice constantly appearing, the two believe that there may be darker forces at work than they previously thought.
1. Stormy Nights Chapter 1: Hideouts

Stormy Nights Chapter 1

Axel stood there, with gun at the ready and primed to shoot the explosives lying on the ground in front of both them and Scourge. Scourge was just standing there, grinning at the thought of Axel going to try and detonate the explosives when a whole squad of snipers perched in the buildings that surrounded them, ready to fire. But the quiet was broken when a phone started ringing and Scourges grin started to fade

"Do you mind if I get that?" He sighed pulling out a phone from his pocket

"Oh no please, you only have the rest of your life" Axel retorted

Scourge flipped the phone open and pressed it against his ear

"Hello?" He asked

"Yes of course it is" He replied rolling his eyes back at Axel and mouthing the word, sorry, as he continued to take the call as Axel mimicked, no please, in return

"Say that again!" He yelled giving both Axel and Jack a fright

"Say that again and know if you are lying, I will skin you and turn you into shoes" He said aggressively into the phone

"Okay" He replied flicking the phone and putting it back into his pocket before walking back towards Axel

"Sorry, wrong day to die" He sighed as Axel was just nearly about to pull the trigger

"Oh what happened, someone make you a better offer" Axel smirked

"You'll be hearing from me soon Axel, very soon" He smirked before making his way towards the stair case

"So tell me more about what you've found out so far" He said as he made his way towards to the stair case, clicking his fingers as the sniper dots went away

"What the hell was that all about?" Jack asked

"Something else got his attention, question is, what was it" Axel responded putting Silvertooth back into its sheath

"Axel, Jack, come in damn it!" Vesper exclaimed over the com

"Yeah, we read you, just had a little life or death moment with Scourge" Jack replied getting up and defusing the explosives on his vest

"We've got some news you guys will want to hear" Sonic said over the com

"What is it?" Axel asked pushing down on his ear to hear them better

"That EMP gun that we've been trying to get from the Destructix, it's vanished from the warehouse that it was stored in" Sally responded

"How the hell did they move something like that without anyone noticing?" Axel asked

"I don't know, but the Armada has been here, the air smells like a ship just came rolling through" Vesper replied

"Great, see what you can find out and we'll meet back up at the hideout and see what we can do from their" Axel responded

"This is bad, we really need to reform our plan" Jack said to Axel

"Yeah and we need to do it fast or we're going to have a massive problem on our hands, come on, let's head back" Axel said pulling out the grapple hook

Several Hours Later

"You're kidding me right?, He strapped a bomb to your vest and you were going to shoot it?!" Vesper exclaimed as the group of them walked into the hideout

"Yeah that's pretty much it, but something else got his attention and I'm trying to figure out what it was" Jack replied typing away at his keyboard

"Where did Sonic and Sally go?" Axel asked

"They had to go back to mobo to deal with a few things" She sighed falling on to the couch

"Wonderful" Axel sighed as he threw Silvertooth onto the table as he laid down on the couch

"Who ever called Scourge knew how to protect themself; the phone was just a burn phone, practically useless, TAU any luck on your end?" Jack asked as TAU appeared

"Possibly, I detected a strange anomaly during your confrontation in the tower, I picked up traces of another program but this time, it was a VI, it was most likely what was controlling the robots you encountered" He explained

"Why would there be VI in that building, it doesn't make much sense to have one in a building like that" Axel replied as he turned to Vesper and noticed that she was just looking up at the roof

"Vesper?" Axel asked leaning over to see if she was okay

"Huh, yeah, just haven't had any sleep these last few days" She responded, stretching her arms

"Yeah, none of us have had any sleep these last few days" Axel sighed

"Just before I return to the castle Jessabel says hello and gives her regards" TAU said floating towards Axel

"Tell her we send the same and we'll be heading back tomorrow" Axel replied as TAU vanished

"Man, I'm gonna hit the hay, night" Axel sighed as he wandered off into his bedroom and shut the door behind him

"Are you going too Jack?" Vesper asking as she rolled over

"I can't just yet, I've still gotta figure out a few things, don't worry through there's a spare room next to mine so feel free to use it, I'm most likely going to be out here all night anyway" He replied

"Alright, I might as well take advantage of that spare room, goodnight" She yawned as she made her way into the room.

"Night" He replied typing away at his keyboard

Jack's POV

Finally a night where I can think to myself and focus on everything that needs to be focused on without distraction. I looked through the logs of recent phone calls to at least try and look for something that might've been strange and give its self away.

"Jack, I've detected something odd" I heard TAU say as he appeared next to me

"What is it?" I asked back focusing on the screen

"The lounge we've been watching, Scourge has just gone into it" He replied

"Why now of all times" I sighed opening up the armoury so I could pick out a few things to take

"I take it you're going to apprehend him?" He asked

"Yeah, I'm not exactly just going to let this guy slide through our fingers again" I replied

"Didn't he just strap a bomb to your chest and almost blow you up?" TAU asked me again

"Yes, but it didn't really work out for him did it" I retorted back

"I still haven't been able to download or scan the area because something is preventing me from gaining access to their systems" TAU said nervously

"Well, how about I take you along with me?" I asked

"Why?" He asked back

"I need directions and someone to do the extra hacking" I laughed quietly

"Alright then, I'm installing myself into your scanner" He responded as I picked it up and placed it on

"So, where to?" I asked silently slipping out through the window

"Head north from here and then proceed to the central plaza, it's located near a night club so you're going to have to sneak past security" TAU replied as I made my way there

Everyone's attention had been diverted to the Dycorp tower; obviously we must've caused quite a stir for everyone to be over there instead of spending their nights out and about like people here usually do on a night like tonight. I was keeping a close eye on the area around me since I was pretty sure Scourge would try to delay me by setting traps and what not.

"Something doesn't feel right" I said looking around and noticed that it had gotten really dark in the area surrounding me

"Jack, something's coming this way" TAU said

"Yeah, I can hear something as well and smell it and boy does it stink" I remarked looking around

I could hear what sounded like the trots of a horse as the noise got closer and easier to hear. I turned around and started to see ooze forming on the ground which meant that one of those creatures was approaching and obviously wanted a fight. I started to notice a shape appear and it looked as if someone was riding the horse.

"It doesn't seem hostile" TAU said as I drew my revolver and held it up

The creature appeared and someone was riding on the back of it but I couldn't see who he was due to most of his body was covered by a robe and his head being covered by a robe. I looked on as the creature slowly came to a stop beside me with the hooded figure looking down on me.

"I think it's best to put the revolver down" TAU replied

"Fine" I grunted

We stood there staring at each other and after a few seconds I could feel the ooze from the creature on my shoes but the figure was perfectly ooze free. He then dropped an envelope on the ground which I immediately bent over and picked up

"Consider this a favour from my master" He said before charging off

"Was that just?" I asked confused

"I believe it to be so" TAU replied in confusion as well

I pulled out my swiss army knife before cutting open the top of the envelope and pulling out the letter and opening it. To my amazement Mogul had given us the location of the Destructix HQ and to both TAU and my surprise it was a located at the towns dam which we had just narrowly avoided death at a few days earlier.

"TAU, wake the others up, we have a base to raid" I grinned making my way back to the hideout

"Already ahead of you"

Several moments later

Normal POV

"Let me get this straight, Mogul's apprentice just handed you a calling card, just like that?" Axel asked Jack in confusion as they were in the Borealis making their way over Metal City

"That's pretty much the story, no hassle or fight, he just dropped the letter and left" Jack replied

"Sounds like a trap" Vesper added

"Most likely but I don't think any of us will want to risk them getting away" Axel said

"Axel, you read us?" Sally asked over the com

"Yeah we've got you, glad you guys could join the party" He replied with a bit of a cheerful tone

"We've got eyes on the place, seems like someone is home" Sonic replied

"We're just arriving now, we'll come around from the front while you and the others come in from the back, that way whoever is home will be cut off" Axel explained

"Why is it that all the bad guys have creepy dark places to hide in" Bunnie muttered over the com

"I don't know, why are you even thinking about that now?" Sally asked back

"I just am"

"Ladies, can we try and keep com chatter to a minimum" Axel said as the trio jumped out of the Borealis and on to the ground

Axel's POV

It was quiet and deserted around the lake, it was as if everyone had just vanished and not a single trace of people being here remained. I felt nervous knowing if we were about to walk into a trap or score big and find some information about what these guys are up to. The Destructix hideout came into sight and it looked as if someone was indeed home

"You guys go on ahead, I'll cover you from here" I told Jack and Vesper as I pulled out my sniper rifle

"Where exactly are you going to get a vantage point in this place, most of the ground is flat except for the tree's that are around" Jack explained

"Jack, use your brain for a moment" I said with a bit of a laugh before climbing up one

"Oh" I heard him remark

After climbing for a few moments I had reached the top of the tree and I was able to get a good view of the Destructix hideout. I pulled my rifle up and zoomed in with the scope, I could see the freedom fighters in the back whilst Jack and Vesper were standing at the front.

"Okay, you guys in position?" I asked switching to thermal so I could see inside

"We're ready" Sally replied

"Likewise, just give us the go and we'll go" Vesper replied

"Okay, judging by what I can see on the thermal, someone is inside and they're doing something, so go when I say, we want to catch this person off guard" I instructed as I kept watch

I watched on for a few more seconds and noticed that something was extremely hot inside, it looked as if they were burning something, I could even smell it from where I was perched so that can't be good

"Go!" I exclaimed as I watched Jack and Sally place a breaching charge on the walls

Within seconds the explosives went off making a massive hole in both ends. I switched back to normal optics and zoomed in and noticed that Fiona was inside and looked as if she was burning something. All of a sudden I caught something moving around in the corner of my scope.

"Axel, we found something interesting, you may want to come down here" Jack said over the com

"Not right now, I just spotted something dash right through the forest behind you, we're not the only ones here" I grinned

"And you sound happy because?" He asked

"Whoever this is, it's most likely someone important" I replied switching between thermal and normal optics trying to get a grip on where this thing was

"Axel, I'm sending Bunnie and Antoine to help you, we'll stay here in case if something happens and see what else we can find" Sally said as I saw whatever this thing was move again

"Where are you, you little SOB" I murmured as I could now hear what ever this was move below me

"Ya'll called?" I heard Bunnie say as I turned and saw her holding Antoine

"That was quick" I remarked

"Can you hurry zis up, I don't exactly want to fall to my death" Antoine said hastily

"Listen, something is down there and it's moving around pretty fast, find it and then try what you can to detain it, if it's Scourge do what you can to stop him, we cannot let him get away!" I exclaimed as I fired a shot at the ground below but missed whatever it was

"On it" Bunnie replied as her and Antoine made their way towards the ground

I decided to climb down since I wasn't getting anything good from the top of this tree anymore and only a few minutes had passed since I sent Bunnie and Antoine down. As I climbed down I felt something hit me in the back of the head and I fell to the ground landing on my back and felt as if a stake had just been driven through my entire body.

"I told you, you would be hearing from me again" I heard Scourge say as I was opening my eyes just long enough to see him grin

"Good luck trying to move, your entire body is paralysed, that rock I hit you with just managed to cut you and allowed my special paralysis toxin I made enter your body" He grinned kicking me in the leg

"Have fun sleeping in the dirt" He laughed as he ran off

"God damn it, someone, help me" I groaned over the com just barely able to move my lips as I began to drift away into a deep sleep


	2. Stormy Nights Chapter 2: Desert Ruins

Stormy Nights Chapter 2

Two days later

Axel's POV

I stirred a bit and felt extremely sore all over my body. As I began to slowly open my eyes I was blinded by a light before my eyes began to adjust and I noticed that I was in a hospital, I also noticed that Jessabel was fast asleep beside me and that Doctor Quack was attending to something at the table beside me

"Ah, you're awake" He remarked pulling up a chair and sitting beside me

"Man, how long was I out?" I asked rubbing my head

"At the most two days, you slipped into a coma after Scourge had poisoned you" He replied

"Damn it, wait, how do you know that it was Scourge?" I asked

"Sally, Sonic and your friend dropped you off here, the freedom fighters were chasing after Scourge when they found you laying almost stiff in the ground" Quack explained as he handed me a pill

"Take it, it'll help you get over the pain faster" He explained as I threw it in my mouth and sucked it down with some water

"Great, so Scourge and Fiona got away, this just gets better" I groaned

"Keep getting some rest, you should be good to go by the afternoon, also just be aware you're friends are going to be popping over in a bit so you know, you may want to try and look like you've only just woken up" Quack explained as he left the room

"Is he gone?" Jessabel asked

"Yup" I replied with a bit of a laugh

"Finally" She replied as she sat up on the bed

"Glad to see your awake" She grinned

"Yeah, I'm just glad I didn't die from that idiot twice" I said pulling off the blanket and putting my gear back on

"So, I take it we're leaving?" Jessabel asked me

"Not much point in staying here if we can't actually do anything" I said sheathing Silvertooth and making my way out of the room

"I suppose that's true" She responded

"Oh by the way, you're getting better at faking sleep" I laughed

"Thanks, I've done it for the last few hours, Quack kept trying to kick me out just because I was there, obviously he doesn't know that friendly voices can sometimes help" She added

"And you know this how?" I asked walking out of the hospital and hailing a cab

"Axel, just because I'm nine doesn't mean I know a few things" She laughed as we got in the cab

"Castle Acorn if you could please" I said paying the driver with some spare change I had in my pocket

As the cab began to move again, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going to happen now that Scourge is even more psychotic then I expected. Sure enough he nearly did just successfully kill me but he seems to be getting desperate to stop him and now that we have Fiona in custody, well hopefully we still do, we can learn a few things.

"What's Jack been doing the last two days?" I asked Jessabel

"Reading some fancy things, I've just been wandering the castle and looking around, and Bunnie even looked after me while Jack was gone most of yesterday" She replied

" I wish none of this happened" I groaned

"Don't blame yourself, you weren't the one who got kid napped" She laughed

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, I'm just glad you're safe kiddo" I said tussling her hair

"Castle Acorn" The driver said as he pulled up

"Thanks" I said as we got out and made our way up the path

"Back from the dead I see" Sonic said as I saw him come from the other way

"Go on up , I'll be there in a moment" I said to Jessabel as she nodded and ran up to the castle and went inside

"Being back from the dead is better than being one of them" I remarked

"You sound rather, mad" Sonic said as he walked alongside me as we made our way around the castle grounds

"Yes I am a little mad" I said trying not to yell

"I sense more mad then you're telling me" He laughed

"First Scourge set's Jack up with a bomb to his chest and then holds us both at gun point with a whole team of snipers, then he gets out of our grasp again at the hideout, SO YES, I AM MAD!" I exclaimed firing a round from Silvertooth into the castle wall

"Better?" He asked grinning

"Much better" I sighed as I opened the castle door

"So I guess you will want to know what you've missed the last few days?" He asked me

"Please do so, I need some news" I sighed

"Well, let me show you" He said gripping my hand as he sped off with me flying behind and sliding across the ground, after a few seconds I was thrown against the floor for the second time and noticed the meeting room had been changed around.

"Ten bucks Sal" I heard Jack laugh

"Fine" She groaned

"Really Sonic" I groaned as I stood back up

"Hey they needed you here in a hurry so" Sonic grinned

"Glad to see your back" Jack said as he and I gave each other a high five

"So what have I missed?" I asked looking around at the new meeting room

"Well we upgraded the meeting room to have some better equipment installed with the help of TAU and NICOLE of course, also we got some information out of Fiona but take a look what happened" Jack replied as a screen appeared showing a video of Fiona going crazy before collapsing to the ground

"Same thing with Lynx, except we didn't use a truth serum on her so this has to be Mogul's doing" Jack explained

"Great, so where are we now?" I asked frustratingly

"We've been looking at some of the paper work we took from the Destructix hideout, all related to relics or ancient treasure, if it has the Destructix interested it means Mogul's Apprentice and Mogul himself are interested in it" Vesper replied making her way in to the room

"Hello to you to" I said

"Morning twinkle toes" She responded

"Do we have any idea where these relics are?" I asked looking at the map of the world

"We've only located a few, we've sent out scouting drones and all we've found is four of them located all over the world, but now that's not our only problem" Sally explained

"Why, what's happened now?" I asked

"A few hours ago large amounts of the battle bird armada we're spotted arriving at several locations throughout most of Mobius, they seem to be setting up base at multiple cities and towns which suggests Mogul could've ordered this" She continued to explain as we moved around the room

"So what now?" I asked raising my shoulders

"We need to find the relics before Mogul gets his hands on them, we've already got our forces stretched thin with regards to the Armada but since you, Jack and Vesper are free" She slyly said

"Yeah, we get the picture" Jack responded

"We've already planned where we're gonna go first, we were just waiting for you to wake up from your nap" Vesper said

"And this place is?"

"We're gonna have to go to Downunda first, it seems as if the BBA hasn't arrived just yet, but I'll bet my lucky stars they're going to be there very soon" Vesper replied

"Guys I don't mean to interrupt but you may want to see this" NICOLE said as her and TAU appeared alongside us

"Why what's going on?" Jack asked

"It's the Armada, they're arrived in Downunda" TAU replied

"What?!" I exclaimed

"Look for yourself, the news feeds are showing it everywhere" NICOLE said as we watched on the monitors

All of these different satellite feeds showing Armada ships coming in from most angles, some of them deploying ground troops towards settlements and taking them over. This only motivated me more to go directly to Kuku and beat the living crap out of him.

"Legion troops, wonderful" Sally snapped

"You guys need to get going now, if the Legion is involved, Downunda is about to be taken over with no resistance, i'm not even sure the downunda freedom fighters will be able to hold out" NICOLE explained

"Agreed, I've already got the Borealis prepped so we're ready to go when you are" Jack explained to me

"Alright, we're gonna have to go now if we want a head start, Sally keep us update" I said as we left the room

"TAU, where's Jess?" I asked him as he appeared

"She's in the castle grounds, I've got NICOLE keeping an eye on her, she'll be looked after, don't worry about it" TAU assured me which sorta eased my nerves to a degree

"I can't believe i'm going back to this place" Vesper said

"Why, can't handle a little dust" Jack said jokingly

"No, just something happened there a few years ago and it doesn't exactly make me want to go back" She responded as we came out of the castle halls and on to the landing platform where the Borealis was waiting for us

"Let's just get there and get out, I've got a feeling we're not going to be alone once we arrive" I said as we all got in.

"Hey Axel!" I heard Rotor call out

"Yeah?" I asked turning around

"Thought you might need this before you go, just in case if a certain somebody pops up" He replied throwing me what appeared to be a pair of gloves or something

"Uh, thanks" I said trying to figure out what these were meant to be used for

"We'll be in contact with you guys, just make sure you get those relics as fast as you can" Rotor reminded me as I shut the pilot hatch and replied with a thumbs up before Jack launched us into the air

I have a gut feeling we're going to be doing a lot of sight seeing now but also running into a lot of old enemies. If both the Armada wants it and Drago still being alive, this means we're going to have three factions to fight against and believe me, I don't like those odds.


	3. Stormy Nights Chapter 3: Red Wasteland

Stormy Nights chapter 3

Jack's POV

"Man this thing is mad!" I exclaimed as a stone golem tried to crush me with his fists but narrowly missed us

"Yeah well you weren't the one that killed it's babies!" Vesper exclaimed as she flew around the room trying to dodge the Gargoyles that were attacking her

"It's babies, it lays stone for crying out loud and they attacked us!" Axel exclaimed as the Golem tried to crush him

"How did I end up here!" Sonic exclaimed running around Drago

"Legionnaires, fire at the Golem!" Lien exclaimed, she must've found us after we quickly diverted her attention

"The rest of you, fire at the others!" she exclaimed

Four hours we've been in this damn dungeon and within that time we've already managed to piss off nearly everything within a thousand miles. Why do we always end up with the strange and bizarre missions.

Five hours earlier

"So, this is downunda" I said, staring at the vast rocky waste land ahead of us as I continued flying the Borealis to our destination

"Yeah, I suppose you really haven't visited this place yet, rather dusty at this time of year too" Axel added as I started to descend the ship

"TAU, you picking up anything on the scanners?" I asked

"Nothing yet, but I'll set the ship to camouflage in case if anyone arrives when you're not around" He responded

"Vesper, you've been rather quiet this trip, something on your mind?" Axel asked her

"Huh, oh no nothing at all, I'm fine, just pre-mission nerves that's all" she said, I could tell that something was bothering her and so could Axel but we couldn't put our finger on it.

As we finally landed I looked ahead and saw nothing for miles, just rock and sand all over the place, maybe a few dead trees but that was pretty much it. It would make sense to hide something like the item we're searching for but then I got the feeling something wasn't right, perhaps it was just the terrain giving me nerves. I opened up the pilot hatch and jumped out right away before I stretched a bit from that long trip.

"So where are we gonna start looking in a place like this?" Vesper asked

"Temples, large cannons, anything that looks out of the ordinary I guess" Axel replied as I grabbed out my X-ray scope

"You still use that thing?" He asked me

"Yeah, so?" I replied

"No reason"

I turned the scope on and looked down the sight, trying to spot something out the ordinary in the distance, the sun was making it difficult to look down the scope and eventually became too bright to notice anything.

"This sun is making it impossible to see anything on the scope" I added putting the scope away

"How long till the sun goes down?" Axel asked

"About another hour or two, why do you have an idea?" Vesper replied

"Maybe, but what if we are looking for something that shows it's self at night" Axel added

"It sounds possible but the only problem is that we've got hundreds of thousands of square miles to look around, what makes you think it's around this specific area?" I asked

"Well on the trip here, I was reading through the Destructix notes and it said that they could only find the place they were looking for by using the star's, so maybe we need night time to find it" He replied

"Sounds logical, other societies have done this as ways of hiding various treasures and cities" Vesper added as I pulled out my radio and turned it on

"So we just set up camp here and wait then?" I asked

"Looks that way" Axel replied

"So until then, I'm just going to look around, I'll be in contact" Vesper said as she flew off into the distance

"I'm just gonna go work on the Borealis" I added pulling out my tool kit and started to work away at the engine of my ship

As the time passed I kept my self busy with cleaning out the engine instead of making any changes or improvements to it. I never knew so much stuff like huge chunks of dust and even a tree branch, how do those even get in there. Slowly but surely I had cleared most of it and polished a few things. After about an hour had passed, I looked up and noticed that the sun had begun to set and that Vesper had returned, but Axel was throwing Silvertooth around like a maniac

"Uh Axel, what are you exactly trying to do?" I asked in confusion throwing my spanner back into my toolkit and threw it back into the cargo hold

"Trying to get Silvertooth to do that energy form trick" He replied

"And you've been going at this for how long?" I asked

"Last twenty minutes"

"Right, did you see anything while you were out Vesper?" I asked closing the lid of the engine

"Nothing major, just a few settlements and a few canyons that's about it" She replied

"I don't mean to intrude but I thought you guys would want to know this" NICOLE said as she appeared

"NICOLE?" I asked, confused at how she could show herself here

"TAU's letting me use a communication channel he's been using to communicate with you guys, spares me a long time of trying to find another way" She said, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing a bit

"What have you got for us?" Axel asked

"I detected something giving off a high energy signature coming from the north of where you guys are, it's only just appeared and I think it may be related to what you are looking for" She explained

"That sounds like the place we're looking for, how far north is it?" Vesper asked

"Near the ocean line, I think the stars might help you look for where you need to be" She laughed as we looked up

The stars had formed an arch like pattern heading towards the north, seems as if Axel was correct about things only showing themselves at night, but it seemed way too real to be true

"The jet's already for takeoff so we can go now if you want" I said climbing in and switching on the engines

"Alright, If we're gonna move, it's going to have to be to now, knowing that the Armada has arrived here, they'll be on the lookout as well " Axel said as him and Vesper hopped in as I also made sure to shut the hatch behind her

My gut was telling me that this might not end well since who knows what's been hidden away in a locked underground temple or dungeon for hundreds of years. Maybe the item we're looking for would just be right in front us but protected by a thousand or so traps, either way something just doesn't feel right about this place. I just hope I'm wrong about it.


	4. Stormy Nights Chapter 4: Darken Decent

Stormy Nights Chapter 4

Jack's POV

We had been flying for about twenty minutes now and the ocean line had only just come into range. Judging by radar scans nothing was present but all of the instruments on the Borealis were screwing up, it seemed as if some sort of EMP field was screwing with them.

"Everything alright Jack?" Axel asked, noticing my frustration and random pressing of buttons

"No, something is screwing with the ship" I said frustratingly

"Sounds like something doesn't want us near this place" Vesper said

"That or someone, we have other people interested in this you know!" I exclaimed back

"That too" She added

No matter what I did, nothing seemed to fix the problem I was having with the radar or my flight navigation tools. It seemed as if the entire ship was just being, possessed by something that I cannot explain. I decided to put her down on the ground below us and turn it off so that way the ship wouldn't explode in our face.

"Okay, so there goes the short cut route, looks like we're going by foot" I said

"Yeah, I don't think we'll need to travel far through" Axel said

"Why, what makes... Oh" I said as I looked up and saw a temple that was massive and stuck out of the ground like a sore thumb

"How did we not see this on our way here?" I asked scratching my head

"I think it works like an illusion, from the sky it looks as if nothing is here but looking at it from the ground it's clearly visible" Vesper replied as we made our way towards the giant stone stair case

As we made our way up the staircase I couldn't help but wonder if we were being watched, I looked back and noticed that Borealis had been switched to camouflage mode which meant communications must still be working if this mysterious force didn't screw it up. After a few more moments we had reached the top and what we thought would be the entry to this place was in fact, another stair case that went downwards in a spiral, but this one was made of wood and didn't look too sturdy, I placed my foot on the first step just to check if it was and right away the step broke off

"Okay so were not taking the easy any suggestions?" Axel asked

"Well Vesper and I can fly down but you're gonna either parasail down it or let one of us carry you down" I replied switching my rocket shoes

"Better yet I could just do this" Axel said as he bent over and flicked something on the back of his shoes

"Rotor gave me a present when we got back from Metal City a while back, he figured that since we might be going all over the place he placed gravity contractors in my boots" He explained as he began walking down the shaft

"See you guys at the bottom" Axel waved as he made his way down

"See you down there as well" As Vesper dived down whilst I waited

I wanted to go down but that lingering feeling of someone watching me and the Borealis just suddenly screwing around kept me on edge about this place. As if there was more to it then what I thought, I looked around at the architecture for a few seconds and noticed that it was rather different, this entire place is making me get sidetracked from what we're really here for.

"Jack, are you coming or what?" Axel asked me over the com

"Yeah, I'm coming, just got a little sidetracked" I replied flying down the shaft as fast as I possibly could before reaching the ground

When I reached the ground I looked around in the chamber I had landed in and couldn't see Axel or Vesper anywhere, it was as if we had been separated, but how were we separated this is the only way down.

"Guys where are you?" I asked over the com as I walked down the hallway

"We're waiting for you to arrive down the shaft, why where are you?" Axel asked

"I have no idea, but this area I'm in some sort ritual cham...ber" I said as I looked in this room and saw skeletons and multiple rotting corpses across the ground

"Umm, guys, something is living here" I gulped

"What makes you say that?" Vesper asked

"That chamber I'm in... It has fresh corpses and skeletons in it and plus I think I just stepped in something's crap" I replied slowly stepping back

"Alright, i'm about to fire a shot from Silvertooth, tell me if you can hear it" Axel added

I stood absolutely still and waited for when I could hear the gunshot but a few moments passed and nothing happened, all I could hear was the wing rushing in from the surface and that was about it.

"Axel did you fire the shot?" I asked over the com but got nothing but static

"Axel, come in?" I said but still got no reply

"TAU, do you read me?"

"I read you" He replied

"Can you get a location on Vesper and Axel, I can't seem to get through to them" I said making my way through this maze

"Right away, I'm detecting unknown organics in the vicinity, I suggest you move carefully and swiftly" He replied

"Uh thanks, I'll take note of that" I replied

That feeling of us being watched seemed even more real than before, now that TAU is picking up hostiles in this area and that Axel and Vesper weren't replying to com chatter made me more anxious with each step. Eventually I found myself in what appeared to be a meeting chamber. I looked up at the ceiling and the walls and noticed that this place was old, very old. Cracks were all over the place and chunks of the wall had fallen and landed on the ground

"Jack...You...Us?" I heard Axel say over the com

"Barely, what's going on?" I asked turning on my tracker to try and locate where they were

"Egg legion is here... So is Drago and other things are as well... be on the lookout..." The com went dead again but I had managed to locate their position within that time

"Hold out for a little longer, I'll be right with you guys"

"You're not going anywhere boy!" I heard someone exclaim when I felt a blast of something hit me and throw me into the wall

"Damn it" I grunted as I picked myself up and dusted off

"So another person who has interest in the artefact that lays here, it seems as if these things are popular now days" The cloaked figure said

"Not just any artefact, an artefact which will cause trouble if the wrong people get it!" I barked back pulling out my revolver and aiming it at the figure

"Well then I best delay you to make sure they do" The man pulled off his hood to show his face

"Finitevus!" I exclaimed

"Ah, someone who knows of me but yet I do not know you" He replied

"Yeah everyone knows who you are, you were the person who started the Enerjak crisis!" I yelled back

"So you've heard, did Knuckles tell you?" He asked waving his hand around

"Yeah, he told me about you but I did a bit of searching and found you've caused a lot to happen" I replied

"Hmph, I see there is no reasoning with you then?"

"Not in this life time" I replied pulling the trigger but Finitevus covered himself with a shroud of chaos energy and blocked the shot

"Fine, then you'll suffer just like the rest!" He exclaimed as tentacles of chaos energy formed around him

The rest, he must be referring to Axel and Vesper, if he's that quick of an attacker, well then I'm just gonna have to try and be faster then him.


	5. Stormy Nights Chapter 5: Ruin Battle

Stormy Nights chapter 5

Jack's POV

"Face it boy, the Chaos energies that lay dormant here are stronger than you think!" Finitevus exclaimed as several bolts of chaos came hurdling towards me

It was difficult as hell to strike this guy down, each of his attacks were stronger then the last and he showed no signs of backing down. I on the other hand was having the living daylights beaten out of me like it was back at the orphanage when I was younger. Thankfully I had become use to the pain but I could still feel it.

"Why won't you die damn it!" I yelled firing a few rounds at him, I struck lucky as one scrapped past his face and nipped his cheek, leaving a nasty cut on it

"You brat, you will pay dearly for this" He yelled as chaos tentacles appeared aside me and gripped my arms and legs

I struggled against the grip but it was in vain, his powers were that strong that struggling made their grip tighter and eventually I couldn't move without nearly tearing off a limb

"So, since you and I aren't fighting, let's not have a little chat eh?" I asked trying to buy me some time

"Since I have you in my grip a little talk won't hurt" He replied

"Why are you exactly here?" I asked

"First question everyone asks but if you must know, I'm here to ensure the enemy forces win this fight while you and the freedom fighters lose everything" He chuckled

"So typical cliché villain style?" I laughed

"If that's what describes me best then yes, I am" Finitevus replied as he turned around

"Would you look at the time, it looks as if our little chat has come to an abrupt end, since you are no longer of any use to me" Finitevus said culching his fist and in doing so made the grip of the tentacles so tight that they were gonna to break my bones. Only then did a giant scythe come flying by and cut lose the tentacles allowing me to go free

"Evening Doc" I heard someone say as I turned to my left and saw Sonic standing there

"Wretched hedgehog!" Finitevus exclaimed as the tentacles re-appeared this time heading for Sonic, I guess he really does run at the speed of sound.

I got up and looked around as Sonic and Fin were fighting each other and it looked as if I was invisible, I sneaked my way over to where the scythe Sonic had thrown was laying, it was still intact but looked extremely old, but was still good enough for me to use. I picked it up and to my surprise it wasn't as heavy as I thought.

"Anytime now!" Sonic exclaimed as a chaos tentacle narrowly missed him

"Oi, Finitevus, taste this!" I exclaimed, leaping towards him and whacking him in the chest with the blunt end of the blade which slammed him right into the wall

"Nice timing" Sonic grinned

"Yeah, but here he comes again" I said as Fini started to have a black aura appear around him

"I will not be killed by such wretched beings, I will destroy you!" He exclaimed sending a horde of chaos tentacles in our direction

I was able to quickly cut them down with the Scythe and Sonic was able to dodge most of them but by the time the dust had cleared he was gone

"Don't let your guard down, I bet you he's still here" Sonic said as we went back to back so we could see all around us

"Yeah I know, I've done some study on the guy, he has a crap tone of wrap rings at his disposal" I replied

I kept my eye out but after a few minutes passed it appeared that Fini had decided to vamoose, but only then did I hear something else coming down the hall way

"What the hell..." I said as what appeared through the hallway was something like a gargoyle

"Okay where the heck did this thing come from!" Sonic exclaimed as it pulled a stone double sided axe from the statue

"My chaos powers allow me control over in-animate like creatures, my stone bell gargoyle will surely rid you from this world, now my pet, destroy the dog and the rodent!" Fin exclaimed as the gargoyle came leaping at us

We both dodged the attack but the gargoyle whipped us with its tail into the wall before it threw it's axe at us which just missed me by the hair of my tail. I quickly decided that the scythe might be the quickest route to killing this thing.

"Sonic, I got an idea" I told him as I nudged my head towards the scythe

"Got it, just gimme the word" He replied as he speed off and I tried to get myself in front of this thing but it was agile for its size.

"Haha, your tactics don't work against my pet, he'll surely destroy - omph!' Fini exclaimed as I watched him go flying across

"Hello again, you pale faced bastard!" I heard Axel exclaimed as he and Vesper showed up

"About time you pair showed up, Doctor Fin here is giving me way too much trouble!" I exclaimed sliding under the gargoyle and cutting through its chest with the scythe

"Sonic, now!" I exclaimed twirling the scythe around has Sonic hopped on

I let the scythe go loose and Sonic went flying with it, he jumped off at the right time and spin-dashed through its head, cutting off a massive chunk of stone and rendering the creature powerless but the scythe hit the wall and pretty much fell apart from the in-pact

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me" Sonic said

"What?" I asked

"Turn around and find out" He sighed

"Legionnaires" I said

"So Finitevus is dealt with, that leaves you pair and Drago to deal with" The leading echidna said

"Yeah nice to see you to Lien-Da, I look forward to smashing in your little play group" Sonic said

"Shut it Hedgehog, we're here for the relic and nothing more, so how about handing it over and we call it day?" She asked putting her hand out and cocking an eyebrow

"We don't have the relic, that's why we're here in the first place"

"AT LAST IT IS MINE!" We heard a voice exclaim coming from the hole Axel had made in the wall

"This Relic is one of many that we shall obtain and deliver to our master for great rewards" He said as the whole lot of us walked over and peeked in and saw Drago holding up what appeared to be sphere glowing with black energy

"I think you've done enough" Fini said as he burst through the wall with his chaos tentacles and restrained Drago and his small team of wolf legionnaires

"Finitevus, why are you here?!" Drago snarled as I quietly tip-toed my way through the hole in the wall past everyone else who was watching the two argue

"The same reason your here, I want that orb!" He exclaimed back

"I still hold it, no way you ca-"

"Mine now!" I said as I jumped over and grabbed it before making a mad dash towards the hallway where I would hopefully lose them

"Well don't just stand there, get him!" I heard Lien-Da and Drago exclaim while Finitevus let his tentacles loose and launched them all at me

"Sonic, get Axel and Vesper to the ship, I'll keep these guys busy" I said over the com

"We're near you already, the other way is blocked by legionnaires and this is the only way out" Axel replied over the com

"Uhh guys, Doctor Fin's already got more of those stone monsters heading our way!" I exclaimed dodging the stone golem that was in front of me

"Legionnaires, open fire, do not let the dingo escape!" Lien-Da Exclaimed

"Wolf Legionnaires, keep the other's busy whilst I go after the dog!" Drago yelled, these guys are yelling like no tomorrow

"Sonic where are you?!" I exclaimed over the com

"Hold your horses" He said as I felt something lift me up and off my feet

"About time" I laughed

"Yeah well, Axel's about to improvise" Sonic said as we dashed over a bridge that appeared to have a large drop below it

"Jack, detonators all yours" Vesper said over the com as I pulled one out and primed it

As we neared the end of the bridge, Fini had created more gargoyles whilst Lien-Da and Drago's forces were chasing after us at an extremely fast speed. I pushed the button detonator and soon enough did the bridge start to fall apart and eventually collapsed

"Well that sorts that, here you go" I said as I threw Axel the orb

"Nice, that's one for us and zero for-"

"Us?" Finitevus said as a platform rose from where the bridge had collapsed with everyone on it

"We don't go down so easy" Drago added

"So four on a couple of hundred, anyone see us winning this?" Vesper asked drawing her sword

"If we play our cards right we can" I added

"Jack, you got an idea?" Axel asked

"We need to tear this place apart, the support pillars are weak and should only take a few seconds per pillar and I think I know how we can do that" I replied re-loading my revolver

"I get ya" Sonic added as Vesper and Axel nodded in agreement

"Alright then, let's get this party started" Sonic grinned

With all of Fini's stone constructs and Lien-Da's and Drago's legionnaire units, this demolition job is gonna be a piece of cake.


	6. Stormy Nights Chapter 6: Crumbling away

Stormy Nights chapter 6

Jack's POV

So here we are after spending hours in this dungeon we've pissed all of these guys off in the small space of time we've been here. Lien-Da was way too busy with Drago while Fini kept attacking Vesper, Axel, Sonic and I with his gargoyles and golems. They obviously weren't aware of what we're actually doing

"Come on, this place has to give way soon" Axel grunted

"Well perhaps get that golem to destroy the pillars instead of letting it punch the ground" I replied

"Where's Finitevus?" Sonic asked

"I dunno, but I can't see him from up here" Vesper replied

Fini must've ditched this place or something, he was either getting his chaos powers to posses more golems and gargoyles or officially left for good this time. I looked up and noticed that the roof was starting to shake and looked around as the pillars were starting to crack and give way to the ceiling, which meant our plan was working.

"Why did you leave us Drago!" Lien-Da exclaimed, I turned around and saw that she had used her whip to tie Drago's feet together as he fell over

"You know very well as I do, Eggman is going to lose everything in the coming months and I plan to be on the winning side when that happens!" He barked back

"What did Mogul promise you, eternal power or some fantasy come true stuff?" She asked

Whilst the two were bantering at each other I was able to run past the other Legionnaire units and quickly get to where Lien-Da and Drago were arguing about what each other wanted, they were talking at each other like they were a bad married couple

"You'll pay for betraying us!" Lien-Da exclaimed as she pulled out a gun and aimed it between Drago's eyes

I pulled out my grappling hook and fired it at her gun just as she was about to pull the trigger and nipped it from her. The hook retracted and threw it into my hand, I pulled out my revolver and aimed both guns at her.

"What, so you work for the wolf legion to?!" She asked readying her whip

"No, I just don't plan on Drago's brains being splattered all over the floor" I replied as I bent down and cut the rope, setting Drago free, I just hope I'm not making a mistake in what he's going to do the second he gets up

"Now then where were we" Drago said as he lunged himself at Lien-Da

"Guys, Lien-Da's distracted, we need to be quick in regards to tearing this place down!" I exclaimed over the com placing some C4 charges on a few pillars

"Hand over the orb boy!" I heard Fini exclaim as I turned around and was hit with a blast of chaos energy

"Bad choice" I grinned pressing the detonation button and blowing Fini into the wall

"Finitevus is back" I said over the com

"Yeah we just noticed, a group of three gigantic stone golems just appeared and are letting loose on this place, they're practically blowing the pillars away!" Vesper exclaimed over the com

We were having a hard time keeping everything in plan, since there we only four of us and we were stretched thin but we managed. Vesper was keeping the gargoyles in the air, Axel dealt with the golems whilst Sonic and I were busy keeping the legionnaires and Fini busy on us.

"TAU, you still got me?!" I exclaimed blocking Fini's chaos tentacle attack

"What is it?" He replied, trying to talk and dodge Fini's attack was hard to do without nearly letting myself get hit by one

"Do you have access to anything which might be able to help level this place?" I asked

"I have a few UAV drones in the area I can take over and send a tomahawk missile towards your location, you would only have a short space of time before it arrives" He responded

"How much is short?" I asked kicking Fini into the wall

"Two minute window before impact"

"Alright, send the missile in about five minutes, I'm getting us a way out of this place" I replied picking a very dazed Finitevus up by the chest

I ran my hand down his arm trying to grip a warp ring, some were rather stuck whilst others were extremely loose, eventually I managed to nip one of his finger and placed it in my pocket, only then did I see Finitevus wake up and felt a chaos tentacle grip me around the neck

"Pathetic waste of life you are, enjoy your final moments" He said as I gasped for air

Everything started to become blurry and dull, trying to keep breathing was harder as each time I had to gasp harder and harder just salvaging what little air I was able to get. The next thing I knew I heard a gunshot and Finitevus's tentacle vanished, dropping me right onto the stone floor

"Jack, you okay?" I heard Axel asked as he helped me up

"Yeah... We need to get out of here... TAU is about to bomb this place" I coughed

"What did you do to Finitevus?" I asked pulling out the warp ring

"I nipped him with a paralysis round, something you made for me a while back, also how do we plan on getting out of here, we can't even find the exit!" Axel exclaimed

"Hello, warp ring is a ticket onto the surface" I replied flinging it around my finger

"Guys, get ready to bail, warp ring exit coming up!" I exclaimed over the com throwing it to the most emptiest part of the room

From what I could see Sonic and Vesper had already gone through within seconds of the ring being put up but Axel and I were still a bit far and all of the legionnaires that were fighting around us were making it hard to reach the ring. We were close, I could start to feel the fresh air blow through but then something gripped my leg and I tripped

"You're not getting away that easy!" Finitevus exclaimed

"Right that's it!" I exclaimed grabbing the chaos tentacle and sending a jolt of electricity through it and shocking him in the progress, I guess adding a taser mod to my gloves was a good idea after all.

At that same time I felt a sharp pain coming from my shoulder and noticed that Finitevus was able to stab me, I felt awkward all throughout my body. I managed to get up but I was rather clumsy and I couldn't figure out where I was going, then I felt someone grip me and throw through the warp ring.

Normal POV

As Jack came flying out the warp ring onto the surface so did Axel, he immediately turned his attention to Jack as he noticed that he wasn't looking so good

"Looks as if Finitevus has done something to him with that chaos trick of his" Sonic said as they bent down to try and help Jack up

"You know how to fly this thing right, there is a bomb about to arrive here?" Vesper asked

"To a degree" Axel replied as him and Sonic helped Jack into the backseat of the Borealis

"Axel, I'll take control of the Borealis, keep an eye on Jack's condition, I've asked NICOLE to alert Quack about his condition" TAU said as the hatch of the Borealis began to close

It was very tight nit inside as the space in the back compartment was only designed for two extra people but they managed to cram themselves in there. Axel went back to the front of the ship to make sure everything was smooth sailing whilst Sonic and Vesper stayed in the back and kept an eye on Jack's condition.

"Missile impact in three... two... one" TAU said as Axel watched a fast streak of air come by and strike down the temple, virtually destroying the entry and only exit

"What's Jack like?" Axel yelled

"He's alright for now but I doubt he'll last long" Vesper replied

"TAU, is there anywhere near by where we can help him?" Axel asked frantically tapping

"Angel island is the closest place from here, it is about ten minutes at max speed, shall I inform the others about our change in plan's?" TAU asked

"Do it, I doubt Jack will last the trip to New Mobo at this rate" Axel sighed

"Very well, let's just hope he doesn't get worse" TAU said as the Borealis speed off away from what remained of the temple and off to angel island.


End file.
